Two Deaths Confirmed After Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas

Earlier this morning, the University of Arizona suffered a tragic loss. A pre-med student from the acclaimed school was pronounced dead after taking a fall from the 27th story of a hotel along the Las Vegas strip. The fall may have been a result of the student’s drug use at the Electric Daisy Carnival.

22-year-old Emily McCaughan, pictured second from the left, was present at the recent Electric Daisy Carnival prior to her death. The well-known electronic music festival, run by Insomniac Events, has been hosted in a variety of states over the years, including California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Texas — and most recently, Nevada.

According to what McCaughan’s family members told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the student consumed ecstasy at some point during the festival, but the official cause of death has not been announced.

A man from Florida whose name has yet to be released also died over the weekend, having been hit by a truck after attending the same event.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Erika Raney (spokesperson for Insomniac Events) remarked, “The two tragedies occurred beyond the festival’s walls as well as beyond Insomniac’s control, and these incidents will not threaten the future of EDC in Las Vegas.” Unfortunately, the festival has been faced with a series of similar fatalities in the past, but Raney stands behind her belief that the Insomniac-sponsored event is “one of the safest places to be in Las Vegas during the event weekend’s operating hours,” as it prohibits drug use and is equipped with “law enforcement, private security teams, and fully staffed medical facilities housing doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel.”

The Electric Daisy Carnival took place between June 8-10 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 345,000 people are reported to have been in attendance over the course of the three-day affair.